This collection contains a wide variety of personal papers
belonging to members of the Flint and Lawrence families, long
time residents of the area known today as Lincoln,
Massachusetts. The papers are dated between 1642 and 1798.
The collection also includes the records of several town and
church meetings, town petitions, and a large number of
receipts documenting the construction of the meeting-house
between 1746 and 1750.

Lincoln was not established as an independent township
until 23 April, 1754. As early as 1734, inhabitants of south
east Concord, and adjacent areas of Lexington and Weston,
began petitioning their local governments to allow them to
establish their own precinct. The reasons cited included the
inconvenience of living at such a great distance from the
place of worship. The petitions in this collection show that
not all inhabitants favored this motion, mainly due to the
loss of taxes such a step would bring about. However in 1746
the Massachusetts House of Representatives established
Lincoln as a precinct, and 8 years later Governor William
Shirley signed the bill for its complete independence. Edward
Flint, whose papers form a significant part of this
collection, played an instrumental role in this struggle for
independence.

The personal papers in this collection are predominantly
the records of business and legal transactions. The former,
dating from 1642-1798, include the records of land sales,
indenture papers, and contracts. They provide insight into
the general economic situation during this period. The
latter, in particular the wills and estate inventories and
settlements, are valuable for the information they contain
about land and property holdings. The most extensive personal
letters are those of Dr. Joseph Adams, a Loyalist who fled to
England in approximately 1777. His letters to his
brother-in-law provide insight into both the conditions in
England at the end of the 1700's, and the legal and
psychological problems faced by emigres. The Massachusetts
House of Representatives' decision concerning the sale of
Adams' property provides interesting information both about
the distribution of emigres' estates, and the provision made
by the state government for the maintenance of emigres'
families. The only other mention of the Revolutionary War in
this collection is provided by the records of a church
meeting held to examine Rev. William Lawrence's supposed lack
of a patriotic stand.

Finally, the accounts of the construction of the town's
meeting-house, 1746-1750, provide some insight into the
occupations of Lincoln's inhabitants, and their position in
the town hierarchy, as well as into the cost of labor and
materials during this period.